Friday, June 26, 2009

A momentous event, not to be overshadowed by the deaths of a pop icon and a Charlie's angel: Jadzia's first breakfast! That's right, she tried rice cereal, her first non-mommy-milk food. When William first tried cereal, back in the day, I was a little worried about him going off the boob and not needing me anymore. With Ms. J I don't really feel that way because, being an experienced mother, I know that children continue to be quite attached to their Mommies, long after they stop nursing.

I would have uploaded this video this morning but youtube was taking forever and being glitchy. My Mom told me that the internet was busy with people downloading Micheal Jackson stuff. I'm not saying that isn't true (she heard it on the radio), I just don't see how that could possibly make sense.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

When my generous baby-sitting Mom asked what we were celebrating I replied, "A night off without kids of course." Though we didn't have our human children with us, we did encounter this gaggle of geese (complete with gosslings) while we were walking off the Bison steaks that we'd eaten at Spencer's Landing, the ridiculously expensive and extravagent waterfront restaurant. Yes, I did say Bison, which is like cow, only it's twice the price and they serve it with blueberry sauce on top. Yum!

Though we spent our entire week's grocery budget on dinner, It's not really a date until you see a movie too. In fact, my husband's spontaneous romantic impulses tend to coincide with the release of summer blockbusters. So we saw Transformers 2, the movie that Roger Ebert called "dumber than a box of staples". It wasn't as good as the first one, but you don't go to a Transformers movie looking for realism or oscar performances, so I thought he was being overly harsh. For low-brow humour and mindless special effects , this movie is the one to see.

I couldn't help but notice, though, that if the robots had been human, than the violence would have been extremely gory even for an R-rating (it was rated PG). And the autobots fight just as dirty as the decepticons! So it was inappropriate for my kids at least, which made it strangely more romantic.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

This weekend was the Sound of Music Festival, when almost all of Burlington gathers near the waterfront to watch a parade and various music acts in less-than-ideal weather.

It rained through Saturday's parade, thinning out the crowds to give us a front row seat. We enjoyed the marching bands well enough, but didn't bring enough warm clothes, so we decided not to stay for the kid's bands we had planned to see. We bought fudge to take home and decided that the Skor flavour was the best.

Today was better weather, so we headed down again and saw Tom Cochrane perform. He kept making gratuitous Canadian references and talking about how great it was to be back in the Golden Horseshoe. I think he was being an applause slut, but as long as he played "Life is a Highway" everyone was happy. William didn't want to stay for even one song, and finally dragged my parents away to take him to the park, where he got extra soaked.

Not that I blamed him. It was sweltering hot. That's Canada for you; cold and rainy one day, hot and sunny the next. Makes you value the good weather. Like Tom Cochrane said, "Nobody appreciates summer like Canadians."

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Here are some videos of my kids learning about science. That's what you do at the Science Centre. We were technically there to preview the Snakes and Lizards Alive Exhibit (because my mother is media), but of course we spent most of our time in the Kidsparks area. Which I highly recommend for toddlers, if you can find someone to get you in for free. Or even if you have to pay, because everyone loves the Science Centre (even babies).

Okay, I'm exhausted. Really. Kid outtings take a lot out of you. It was a great day though. Thanks to my mother (also the Science Centre people who invited the media but especially my mother) for giving us a great day.

Monday, June 15, 2009

William lies face down on the basement floor, his knees tucked under him and his bum in the air. He looks as if he's searching for something under the couch. A half-eaten peach lies beside him, apparently forgotten. The movie Wall-E plays on the tv.Me (standing on the stairs looking down at him) : Hey William. What are you doing?William (looks up) : Why not?

Me : What are you doing?

William : I watch Wall-E

Me : But why are you on the floor?

William sits up and leans against the couch. He picks up the peach beside him.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Since Adam is such a wonderful husband, he moved his desk from downstairs in the basement to the living room next to mine. Now we'll spend lots more time "together" and I'll get oodles of stuff done because I won't be tempted to go downstairs to see what my husband is up to only to get sucked into the temporal vortex that is our television.

A few moments ago, I mentioned to my new desk-buddy that I wanted to write a blog entry but didn't know what to write about. Said he: "Why don't you post that video of William playing in the water?" Yesterday we went down to Spencer Smith Park (the Waterfront) and William got drenched in the fountain. I do have a cute, but kind of long, clip of him (gleefully) getting progressively more soaking. I am uploading it to Youtube, but it's taking 500 years. Here are some photos of the event:

Thursday, June 11, 2009

This afternoon, in a lapse of sanity, I decided to walk to the Early Years Centre instead of driving. After all, I can't justify the purchase of a 900-dollar stroller without using it for at least one long walk.

I saw some things I wouldn't have noticed driving: a 2 shopping carts wedged into the grass, a field and a pile of rubble where a house had been. I also chatted with an older man about his children, and how he never had cool strollers like mine in his day. I took a few pictures that I might later post on my international photo tag blog. All very well, but nothing I'd give up a car for.

The trek (which according to Google Maps is 6.4 km) took me a little under an hour and a half. William and Jadzia fell asleep about 15 minutes in and woke up just as I was nearing our destination. The weather was great for it, overcast but not rainy, I felt neither too hot, nor too cool. I didn't feel sweaty at all until I stepped through the door to the Early Years. Without the breeze I became all too aware of how sticky I was.

Of course I bragged to all my Mommy friends about how I had walked from the ends of the Earth and they were all suitably impressed. (Completely unrelated: my friend Jessica had her new 7-day-old son with her. He made Jadzia look gigantic).

I had planned to have my husband pick me up after work (I couldn't walk back. It was uphill!) but instead Jessica convinced me to take the bus with her. Of course my gigantic stroller didn't fit on the bus until I removed the wheels (and the children). I could tell everyone (especially the driver) thought I was the supreme fool of the day for bringing an enormous buggy on public transit, but they helped me anyway. William was especially good on the bus, even singing a verse of wheels on the bus (the money on the bus goes ching ching ching).

So anyway, I'm glad I walked today. I'll never do it again, but now that I have once I can officially declare myself the Fittest Mom Ever, and permanently retire from any further exercise.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

I haven't been as diligent about recording milestones with Jadzia as I was when William was a baby. Partly because I'm busier with two kids, and partly because I understand now that children grow up not by stepping from one stone to another, but gradually progressing from one stage to the next. While you're waiting for them to master one thing, they're busy learning something else. In any case here's a quick list of things she can do:

Smiling and laughing - she's been doing this for months, of course. If you met Jadzia I'm sure her smile is what you'd remember. Her entire face lights up, and she is prone to hysterical giggling.

Puking - she still pukes all the time, but it doesn't seem to bother her. She tricks people into holding her by flashing that adorable smile, then she vomits all over them.

Sneaky moving - she can't crawl, but she somehow manages to get exactly where she wants to go, usually when my back is turned. I assume she uses a combination of rolling, stretching and grabbing with her arms, and lunging with her legs. I've also noticed that she rotate while on her tummy by pushing off with only one foot.

Putting things in her mouth - this is her favourite hobby at the moment. She especially likes books, which means it's getting difficult to read to her. She also has an interest in toys that she didn't have before.

Sitting up unassisted - a fairly recent development and she's still not too steady. Usually, she'll see a toy inches out of her reach and end up folding herself in half.

Standing - okay, not by herself, but she loves "stand" while being held, or hanging out in her exersaucer.

Likes:

William

Toys

Things that make a crinkle noise

Books

Mommy's hair (or equivalent)

Bath time

Sucking her thumb (lefty)

Booby

Dislikes:

Falling asleep in the stroller (if she's tired she'll wail all the way home instead)

Saturday, June 06, 2009

We didn't find it on kigigi, or on ebay, and we didn't pick it up at garage sale for cheap. Unfortunately we just went to our local bike store and spent the bigger part of our tax refund on it. It's called the Chariot Cougar, because presumably most people feel better spending vast sums of money on something if it's named after a ferocious wild cat (or an aging woman who likes young men). Anyway, this thing costs $675 and that's before you even put the front wheels on it. Seriously, to actually use it you need to buy extra doodads to make it into a stroller, or attach it to a bike.

Adam has already taken William for long bike ride. I stayed home with Jadzia because apparently you have to be at least one year old to ride in a bike trailer. Everyone's so paranoid nowadays. I haven't ridden a bike in three years (since before getting pregnant with William), and it looks like I'm going to make it fourAh, but it will make a nice two-baby stroller (as you can see by the above store model). I've been busily using Google Maps to find good walking routes to all my favourite hangouts. I'm going to be the fittest Mom ever!!! (For three-days, and then the novelty will wear off).